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Once upon a time (before Goldfish crackers permanently lived in my car and laundry became my most toxic relationship), I ran a retail store for Abercrombie & Fitch.
Long hours, loud music, impossible sales goals, and teenagers trying to sneak out with $90 jeans? Yep — that was my daily life.
Turns out, it was also parenting boot camp. I just didn’t know it yet.
Here’s how working retail prepped me for motherhood in ways I never expected:
Before I had kids, my days were filled with loud music, perfectly folded jeans, and the lingering scent of Fierce cologne that could knock you out from the parking lot. I ran an Abercrombie & Fitch store like it was my own little empire.
I thought I was learning leadership, sales strategy, and how to style a cardigan eight different ways.
What I didn’t realize? I was secretly training for motherhood.
- 1. Crisis Management
- 2. Opening & Closing Checklists → Morning & Bedtime Routines
- 3. Inventory Control = Snack Control
- 4. The Dreaded Seasonal Floor Set
- 5. Dealing with Difficult Customers Prepared Me for School Days
- 6. You Can Smell Trouble Before It Happens
- 7. End-of-Shift = End-of-Day Parenting
- Yes, I Still Shop at Abercrombie & Fitch
- Final Thoughts
1. Crisis Management
Retail version: The line is getting longer, the music gets louder, and the pile of go-backs from the fitting room is becoming a mountain. You’re teaching your front room associate the new way of folding jeans, answering the phone, and processing a return while telling the customer you’ll be “right with them” in 30 seconds.
Mom version: As a parent, that translates to staying chill when a meltdown hits in aisle 3 (or in your kitchen at 7:02a.m.). The waffles are burning, your coffee needs reheating, homework needs checking, lunches need to be made, and your asking your oldest for the 17th time if they put deodorant on.
What retail taught me: breathe, keep your voice steady, and handle the immediate need first. Dramatic reactions only escalate the situation — whether it’s a customer demanding a price override or a child demanding you look at his newest Minecraft creation RIGHT NOW! In both cases, you take a deep breath, fake a calm voice, and somehow find a way to fix it before everything collapses into chaos.
Same energy. Different wardrobe.
Mom hack: Use your calm manager voice. It works miracles.
2. Opening & Closing Checklists → Morning & Bedtime Routines
Opening a store meant the same checklist every day: lights, music, clean, perfume, floor check, merch reset. That routine created predictability for customers — and structure for staff. Routines at home? Same principle. Kids thrive on consistent steps.
What retail taught me: write the steps down, make them visual, and repeat them until muscle memory kicks in.
Mom hack: Create two simple checklists — “Morning Open” and “Bedtime Close.” Use stickers for wins. It’s boring on paper but magic in practice. Kids thrive on structure.
My husband and I were both store managers at Abercrombie (it’s how we met, when I was in college I started out as part time!) and we close down the house every night. Lights off, doors locked, garage is closed, coffee is set to brew in the morning, toys are put away, blankets are folded on the couch, and the dishwasher is going. It sets us up for a successful morning when everything from the day before is finished.
3. Inventory Control = Snack Control
Retail version: Count, track, and safeguard every last item in the stockroom.
Mom version: Count, track, and safeguard the last pack of fruit snacks because you know it will cause an international crisis if one sibling gets it before the other.
I can tell which kid took the last Oreo just by looking at the crumb trail. Retail trained me for this level of surveillance.
4. The Dreaded Seasonal Floor Set
Retail version: You finally get the store looking perfect… and then home office sends a printer full of updates saying it’s time for an entire floor set. Out comes every table, mannequin, markdowns, jean folding and sleeve-scrunched button down shirts.
Mom version: You finally get the living room spotless top to bottom… and then your kids decide it’s the perfect time to build a blanket fort with the couch cushions and blankets, and also dump the entire Lego bin and build “the world’s largest castle.”
Either way, your hard work lasts approximately 4.3 seconds. You’re redoing the same work you just did, but now you’ve accepted it as part of life.
5. Dealing with Difficult Customers Prepared Me for School Days
Retail version: “This hoodie was on sale last week. I demand it for the same price now.”
Mom version: Sitting next to this mom: “I need to speak to the principal right now—my child didn’t get the lead in the school play,” OR, “I know the sign-up sheet says snacks for next Friday, but I already brought cupcakes today, so make it work.”
Both situations require deep breathing, a fake smile, and mentally escaping to your “happy place” (which may or may not involve sipping coffee alone in your car).
6. You Can Smell Trouble Before It Happens
Retail version: You just know when someone’s about to shoplift.
Mom version: You just know when your kids are being suspiciously quiet.
In both scenarios, you walk into the room and instantly confirm your suspicions: missing merchandise in one case, a wall covered in Crayola marker in the other.
7. End-of-Shift = End-of-Day Parenting
Retail version: You close up the store, sweep the floor, and do a final walk-through to make sure everything’s locked. And go enjoy the rest of your night meeting up with your friends for drinks and staying out all night.
Mom version: You get the kids to bed, do a quick sweep of the house to gather rogue sippy cups, and check that the front door is locked. Then lay in bed and scroll through Instagram, read a book, and lights are out by 9pm.
Either way, the satisfaction is short-lived because you know you’ll wake up tomorrow and do it all over again. You’re redoing the same work you just did, but now you’ve accepted it as part off life. Your bedtime is just a little earlier.
Yes, I Still Shop at Abercrombie & Fitch
In fact, here are some of my favorite looks for the back to school season. I just envision me wearing these looks in the car rider pick up line versus trying to convince my part time associates to buy their AAAs every season. (IYKYK.)
Final Thoughts
Abercrombie didn’t just teach me to fold jeans like a pro or survive an ten-hour shift on coffee and club music. It taught me patience, adaptability, and how to handle absolute chaos with a semi-functioning smile.
So, if you’ve ever worked retail, congratulations — you’re already halfway to parenting. And if you’ve done both? Solidarity, my friend. Solidarity.
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